Bill Tieleman is one of BC's best known communicators, political commentators and strategists.
Bill writes a politics column Tuesdays in 24 Hours newspaper and The Tyee online magazine.
Bill has been Communications Director in the B.C. Premier's Office and at the BC Federation of Labour.
Bill owns West Star Communications, a consulting firm providing strategy and communication services for labour, business, non-profits and government.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

UPDATE - Tariq Ghuman turfed as federal Liberal Party of Canada Riding President for Surrey North over Jaspal Atwal affair!

UPDATE - Federal Liberal Party dumps Surrey North riding president Tariq Ghuman over controversy on Jaspal Atwal - convicted of attempted murder of Indian diplomat but a guest at BC Legislature budget speech

Why did Tariq Ghuman resign from BC Liberal Party Executive because he brought convicted attempted assassin Jaspal Atwal to the BC Legislature for the BC Budget - but stay on as both riding president of BC Liberals in Surrey-Panorama and riding president of federal Liberal Party in Surrey North?

UPDATE - Did federal the Liberal Party of Canada dispatch Tariq Ghuman as Surrey North riding president over the Jaspal Atwal controversy?

The current LPC website for Surrey North has an obvious alteration since my original post was published Wednesday - the contact name and email for Surrey North riding president Tariq Ghuman has disappeared!

Twitter messages last night in response to my original story below suggested that perhaps the LPC website had not been updated - and sure enough, Ghuman was gone today.

Still unclear - is Ghuman the current provincial BC Liberal Party riding president for Surrey-Panorama and cabinet minister Stephanie Cadieux?

Likely not, given all the publicity over Ghuman bringing convicted attempted assassin Jaspal Atwal to the BC Legislature as a guest of the premier's office for the BC budget speech.

But like Premier Christy Clark dodging questions about Atwal's possible role in her campaign, don't expect a straight answer on what happened to Ghuman either - my questions below remain largely unanswered.

ORIGINAL POST

The federal Liberal Party of Canada, the provincial BC Liberal Party, Tariq Ghuman and Premier Christy Clark have a lot of questions to answer.

Ghuman resigned Wednesday as a Director and member of the BC Liberal Party for bringing to the BC Legislature - as a guest of the premier - Jaspal Atwal. Atwal, as we now know thanks to the Vancouver Sun's Kim Bolan and two MLAs who complained to the Speaker, attempted to murder Indian cabinet ministerMalkiat Singh Sidhu near Gold River in 1986, twice shooting the Punjabi politician. [Sidhu was later assassinated in India.]

If his serious error in judgement was enough to quit the executive, why hasn't he resigned from that post as well?

Question #2 - if Ghuman rightly quit the BC Liberal Party executive over this matter, why does he remain as president of the federal Liberal Party of Canada riding association of Surrey North as of February 29?

Question #3 - what does the Liberal Party of Canada think of Ghuman inviting to the BC Legislature a man who attempted to kill an international official visiting this country? Is he an appropriate LPC riding association president?

Question #4 - what does former Liberal Party Member of Parliament Ujjal Dosanjh think of Ghuman's role as a federal riding association presidency? Dosanjh has been an outspoken opponent of the use of violence in support of Punjab independence.

Question #5 - what exactly did Atwal do that caused ICBC to win a $28,000 judgement against him in court in connection to allegations of stolen car fraud?

Question #6 - what did Ghuman know about Atwal's past conviction and other background when he asked him to accompany him to the BC Legislature as a guest of the premier?

None of it, some of it or all of it?

Question #7 - what role did Ghuman play in Christy Clark's BC Liberal leadership campaign?

Question #8 - did Atwal play any role in that campaign?

Question #9 - how does the Indian government feel about Atwal being a guest at the BC Legislature?

None of these questions have yet been publicly answered, to the best of my knowledge.

CKNW's Sean Leslie got hold of Ghuman's resignation letter, in which he apologizes to Liberal Party president Sharon White and takes responsibility for getting Atwal into the BC budget speech as a substitute guest on the premier's ticket without divulging who Atwal was:

"......I take full responsibility for inviting Mr. Atwal to the budget....the young people I originally invited could not attend....I did not inform the premier's office that I was bringing different guests...it was an error in my judgement, and I take full responsibility for it."

Fair enough - but that doesn't explain what happened.

Atwal was punished for the very serious crime he was convicted of. He has paid the price our justice system demanded but that does not mean he should be an honoured guest at the BC Legislature.

Ghuman may be the BC Liberal scapegoat in this affair. If so, he should answer the questions he can above and be done with it.

But both Liberal parties have to explain themselves in this unfortunate incident. The sooner they do, the better.

26 comments:

RonS
said...

This woman is as corrupt a politician as we have seen in the world. This government is full of lapdogs feeding off the public. What a dispicable bunch. There must be an investigation into this bunch starting from 2001 and SCampbell must be included. The travistys and theiving has got to stop and I think jail would be the proper way to do it.

Another question would be why all perpetual the bitchin and whining? The NDP is going to be goverment anyway.

and one Anonymous is wrong. Campbell is not any part of the BC Liberal Party. None.

Enjoy this while you can, because when the NDP becomes government, Bill and the others here will have to defend the NDP and all of the errors it commits even as they are much less than that currently committed by the BC Liberals or not.

"Be ready when the NDP arrives."You mean it could actually get worse?One thing for sure is that the debt will have to be paid some day, so expect taxes to rise exponentially to pay for the mismanagement and incompetence.

it would not get as worse as the current state with the BC Liberals, but don't expect happieness and merriment, and do expect alot of hypocrisy from both the NDP and their supporters.

"One thing for sure is that the debt will have to be paid some day, so expect taxes to rise exponentially to pay for the mismanagement and incompetence."

those taes will rise not because of the BC Liberals, but because the NDP will do stupid things such as forgive student loans, give teachers what they want, will produce taxpayer paid for advertisement, make patronage appointments an the list will go on and on..

"those taes will rise not because of the BC Liberals,"I assume you meant taxes?You are wrong again.Debt HAS to be paid. All $60 Billion. This province will suffer for decades trying to pay it out.

"YOU pay the bill".We have been for years. I am waiting for my next hidden tax, er I mean hydro bill with our new smart meter. Based on what I see, I better have $600 available for that. No new taxes my ass.Hope you like your new meter.

This guy was just showing that the Liebrel Government has and was bought and paid for by sleaze bags like him.He was just washing the peoples of BC face in it.Chrispy Crouch and the rest of the criminals running BC know the jigs up and will pillage whats left for the next year.Funny how you can't find any Liebrel supports who will admit it to ones face.

Hi Bill ,great site here.But to the child troll on here calling NDP voters dumb?Firstly, Glen Clark runs the Pattison group,secondly your pathetic excuse for a premier has no post secondary degrees NONE.The only job she has ever held was at the blue boy motel slinging hash.Ten years of stupidity is enough for me.

Bill Tieleman and Senator Larry Campbell, former Vancouver mayor

Jim Sinclair, Cindy Oliver, Ken Georgetti and Bill Tieleman

Bill Tieleman's coverage of the Basi-Virk/BC Legislature Raid Case praised by other journalists:

"This outstanding piece of journalism, in The Tyee, is the work of a journalist who has been deeply involved with this issue from the start and this article should be passed on as far and wide as possible."

"Bill Tieleman from 24 hours . . . . If you want to know about this trial and about this case, you have to read his blog – I mean, that’s just all there is to it – it’s required reading if you want to understand the BC Legislature Raid situation."

- Mike Smyth, columnist, The Province

"The Basi-Virk case....you’ve probably sat through more of these hearings and gone through more of the files and written about it than any other journalist in the province."

- Bill Good, host, The Bill Good Show, CKNW/Corus Radio Network

"Tieleman ...has done a first-rate job covering the trial."

- Paul Willcocks, columnist, the Victoria Times-Colonist

"Tieleman, who marries a considerable journalistic talent with one of the smartest political minds in the province, has been writing more web-exclusive material. And his coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is a must-read -- whether you're an insider or an outsider."

"24 Hours, the Vancouver paper that has been leading the coverage, as well as the hints of conspiracy in B.C."

- Norman Spector, columnist, Globe and Mail

"Although the major media in this circumstance has been giving the case significant coverage, Tieleman's reports on his blog have been outstanding.

The entire cut and thrust of legal wrangling and arguments has been covered and is accompanied by considered analysis.....His blog site coverage of the Basi-Virk trial is the most in depth treatment of one of British Columbia's biggest political scandals."

- Bill Bell, columnist, The North Shore News

"Mr. Tieleman has published online dispatches which, freed from the limitations of newsprint space or broadcast time, can run at length. They also remain available for those select readers who become obsessed with a case also known as Railgate.....

In another bizarre twist to a story with no shortage of them, Mr. Tieleman went to work one day in December only to discover his office had been ransacked. Bookcases had been tipped over and papers strewn, but nothing was missing.

To top it off, a press kit for the self-published novel The Raid, written by a retired military officer in Metchosin and featuring on its cover a photograph from the 2003 police raid, had been left in a conspicuous place."

- Tom Hawthorn, columnist, The Globe and Mail

Nobody has followed the Basi-Virk affair over its past five years with greater diligence than local journalist, Bill Tieleman....Tieleman deserves our thanks, a fistful of journalism awards and some merit citation for citizenship.